


Through An Open Window

by orphan_account



Series: Ereri Week 2015 [3]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Burglary, Caught in the Act, Day 3, Ereri Week, Gen, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-03
Updated: 2015-06-03
Packaged: 2018-04-02 16:37:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4067035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Day 3: Catch Me/Caught in the Act || Eren kept his mouth and nose covered, keeping as still as he could so his breaths wouldn’t give him away. It was only a matter of time… Time which was cut short as his phone gave a loud vibration against the plastic shelf he was pressed against as he received an incoming text.</p><p> </p><p>
  <i>'God damn it, if that was Jean asking if I saw anything good yet, I’m going to kill him.'</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Through An Open Window

This wasn’t Eren’s first rodeo. He had developed the skill to determine if a house was worth hitting or not from mere observation. A few days of watching the home had sealed the deal; this would give him a good enough haul to relax for at least half a year.

If he could ignore the itch that long, that was.

So when he saw the car pull out of the driveway, sunlight weakly reflecting off of tinted windows from an overcast sky, Eren went to seal the deal. He didn’t wait until nightfall, because the dark made people more alert, more on edge, and much more suspicious. No, Eren thought as he slipped the hat on over messy hair and clipped his tool belt into place, _Titan Cleaning Services_ embellished on the back of his windbreaker completing his temporary disguise. He wasn’t an amateur. A rookie. He knew how to do this right. And with that, he straightened his hat and walked down the road with his wagon, before going up to the house and looking around.

No one was watching, no open windows, nothing. Perfect.

Eren took the wagon around to the back, stepping on it to give himself a boost to the little ledge that had the second-story windows. Those were less likely to have security alarms, and he carefully shimmied one open and slid inside, leaving it barely open behind him.

The home was immaculate, in a way that was almost comical. Truthfully, it was disturbing, and Eren knew he’d have to be careful not to leave a trace of proof behind that he was here. He took a moment to explore the house, making a quick calculation of value and how willing Jean and Marco would be to fence it. It wasn’t just the monetary value, it was the traceability of the objects in question he had to consider (again, another amateur mistake he wasn’t falling for).

The few days he’d been watching, the owner would leave at precisely 9:30 every morning, and come home at 7:30. He should have had his time to work, to pick his way through the best items. Keywords: should have.

The sound of the front door opening had Eren panicking, flinging himself into a closet and pressing his hands over his mouth to stifle the sound of his breathing.

_What was the owner doing back so soon?!_

“—don’t see why we need to do this at my place. I just cleaned,” he heard a rather pissed off man say, followed by a high-pitched laugh and the slamming of a door.

“Oh, get over yourself, Levi. It’s not like we’re throwing a rave. It’s a work party. For working. To work. Which means, at the most, sandwiches and coffee. Everyone else has hosted except you, and so it’s your turn. Deal with it.”

“Fuck you,” was all the man, Eren assumed it was the mentioned Levi, said, before the sound of a door opening very close to Eren’s hiding spot made him flinch a little, his breath catching.

“Hanji, go out back,” Levi said, his voice sharp. Eren closed his eyes, tears building. Fuck, something gave him away, didn’t it?

“What, Levi, what’s wrong?”

“Someone was in here.”

“Yeah, there’s a wagon. It might be a present, there’s cleaning supplies in it.”

“Which don’t belong to me. I wouldn’t get within twenty feet of those cheap knock-off brands.”

“Look, the upstairs window is open a little. Did they _climb_ in? Why not come in through the ground floor?”

“Professional hit. This isn’t just a random happenstance. But if it’s open still, they’re still inside.”

“Oh my god! How exciting! I’ve never met a real thief before! Think I can interview them—”

“Hanji, not now! Start looking.”

Eren kept his mouth and nose covered, keeping as still as he could so his breaths wouldn’t give him away. It was only a matter of time… Time which was cut short as his phone gave a loud vibration against the plastic shelf he was pressed against as he received an incoming text.

_God damn it, if that was Jean asking if I saw anything good yet, I’m going to kill him._

The door flew open, and Eren made eye contact with the man who could only be Levi, who was looking at him with a mixture of bewilderment and murderous intent. Eren held back a cry as he reached in, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, and pulling him out of the closet forcefully. He was dragged down the hall, then flung onto a rug and pinned down.

“Found him!” Levi called out, and a squeal of delight rang from upstairs. Eren closed his eyes, pretending that if he couldn’t see them, they couldn’t see him.

Foolish, but it helped calm Eren’s nerves. A finger poking his cheek had him opening his eyes warily, seeing himself reflected in thick, goggle-like glasses.

“Oh, he’s a cutie. Are you sure he’s a thief?”

“He was hiding in the closet,” Levi snapped. “Not my bed. I doubt he was another gag gift from Erwin.”

“Who knows, maybe he got scared?”

“I’m not a whore!” Eren snapped.

At the same time, Levi snarled out in disbelief, “By god, Hanji, he’s a minor!”

“That he is, and yet in your words a professional thief. How interesting. How old are you, kid?” Hanji asked, and Eren bit his lip, but the grip on his arms tightened, the body pressing him further into the rug, and Eren gasped in pain.

“Answer the question.”

“Fifteen, damn it! I’m fifteen!” he cried out, closing his eyes to hide the tears building. He fucked up, and not only that, he was at risk of dragging down everyone else with him.

“A professional burglar at fifteen. That’s unusual. How long you’ve been doing this, kid?”

“Long enough!” Eren snarled, struggling. He was done for. When were the cops getting here? A knock on the door signaled what had to be the end of Eren’s future, and Levi looked over at Hanji.

“Go get the door. I’ll keep our guest occupied.”

Hanji stood up, brushing off the knees of their slacks before prancing out of the room, closing the door behind them. Levi let go of Eren, though he didn’t get off of him.

“I don’t know what the fuck put you into a place where you’re a professional thief by the time you’re fifteen, but I suggest getting out of it. There’s no future down that road.”

“It’s not like I have many other options, fucker,” Eren snarled, and then the fight was gone from him, and he slumped into the carpet. “’Sides, it’s too late.”

“Why? The only people who know were in this room. And now, my coworkers. If you give us a good reason, we won’t report it. Have you taken anything yet?”

“No… you came back early. I was still calculating.”

“Then did you really do anything worse than trespassing?”

“Why? What are you fucking playing with me like this for?!” Eren asked, his voice showing his desperation. Levi’s answer had him stilling, his breath catching.

“Who said I’m playing? Give me a good reason to not report you to the cops.”

“Because I don’t want to go to juvie. They’ll send me back to my dad.”

Levi got off of Eren, sitting on the floor by him. The fight was gone from Eren, and he didn’t move, even as a hand gently rested in his hair.

“Then, let’s go get you something to eat, and you can tell me why that’s not a good thing to happen.”

Levi helped Eren off the floor, and with hand on his shoulder he guided Eren out of the room, and as the door opened Eren was greeted with the curious faces of the man’s coworkers. While wary, they didn’t show scorn or disgust, and Eren wondered what it would be like to see that more often, to feel comfortable with people instead of leery. He wanted to see a different path open up, and as the fingers tightened on his shoulder, he felt a surge of gratitude in Levi coming home earlier than planned.

He made sure to text Jean that yes, he found something priceless. He left out that he’d found mercy in the touch of a hand.


End file.
